As winter drew to an end in March 2025, a major ice storm caused widespread power outages across Ontario. More than one million homes and businesses lost power as ice, high winds, and falling trees damaged electricity infrastructure across the province.
The storm hit many utilities hard, including InnPower. At its peak, up to 90 per cent of InnPower customers lost power. Working with municipal partners and other utilities, the company restored power to 75 per cent of affected customers within the first 48 hours.
The storm’s devastation showed how important it is to be prepared for severe weather. Over the past year, InnPower has focused on improving its systems, tools, and emergency response plans so it can better support customers during future outages.
To strengthen its response to severe weather, the utility serving Innisfil and parts of south Barrie has made several improvements, including:
- Upgrading its outage map so more customers can access it during major outages
- Improving how it shares outage updates and storm information with customers
- Expanding its restoration partnerships through the Ontario Mutual Assistance Group, giving it access to additional support during major events
- Strengthening emergency response planning and coordination
- Continuing tree trimming and infrastructure upgrades to help reduce the impact of future storms.
As extreme weather becomes more common, these improvements will help the utility respond more effectively, communicate more clearly, and restore power more efficiently when customers need it most.
Nearly two years after the storm, InnPower continues to invest in a stronger and more reliable electricity system for the communities it serves.